The invention relates generally to a vehicle, and specifically to a device for the conversion of the interior space of a vehicle.
This invention was not made under contract with an agency of the US Government, nor by any agency of the US Government.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,921 has disclosed a device for the transportation of goods, with a liner which comprises at least a floor and two side parts and can be folded up, the side parts being approximately perpendicular to the floor in the position of use of the liner.
The invention is a removable liner for the flexible conversion of a car, van or minibus into a robust all-purpose carrier. Vehicles such as stretch limousines, vans and minibuses are used primarily for transportation of passengers. On the other hand, these vehicles have so much interior space that if adequate protection of the interior space of the vehicles could be ensured, they could be used for transporting any desired type of load. Commercially available trays and similar containers do not offer sufficient protection for such vehicles and can therefore be used only in certain cases.
The entire space available within the vehicle for load transportation is hermetically encapsulated by being lined with an abrasion-resistant, particularly lightweight and elastic material specifically developed for this purpose. The liner consists of a floor having adjoining side parts to half the height of the interior space of the vehicle, the roof lining with adjoining side parts to half the height of the interior space of the vehicle and the front and rear flaps. The liner can be folded together, the side parts first being folded together onto the floor from left and right. The roof lining then automatically lies on the side parts. The front and rear flaps close off the folded-together container, so that a lightweight, compact and portable package is formed.